WH Chronicle No. 12.5
Nov 7, 2012
By the time you read this we will once again be
homeowners, but it was not without a long and tedious saga. The gruesome details of lenders and liens should be avoided in polite company, and discussed only within close proximity of a solid waste disposal system. That aside, we have been squatters inhabiting a portion of our yet to be purchased home. Kaghondi has had the luxury of living in 3 different domiciles since his arrival to this country. Currently, we are living like rich Africans with all 5 of us (not counting
the cat, dog, bird and fish) residing in the two bedroom side of our new duplex. Luckily, there is plenty of room because we have a bare minimum of furniture; our mattresses on the floor; just 5 plates, 3 mugs, and a variety of paper
utensils. I can vacuum the dog hair from the entire place by utilizing only one electrical outlet. It is liberating to have a reduction in inventory; at
least as long as the weather stays warm. Regardless, Kaghondi says he is happy because all of his accommodations
allow him to sleep when it rains—unlike the thatched roof of his first home
that dripped mud during a heavy storm.
Tom and I are thrilled to be in the new house and on to new
adventures, though it was entertaining moving around. We teased about the method of transporting
pets to each new location. First the dog
and cat, then take the cat back, and get
the fish and the bird, return to the bird to the first location with the dog—wait, no, the
fish, then get the cat, etc. Good thing
we didn’t have a cabbage and a canoe. Our non-perishables and non-living stuffs are
still in storage and are to be delivered next week. Outside of a few couches and a box of dishes
I couldn’t possibly recount the numerous contents, or even the reasons that I own them. Perhaps there is a garage sale in our
future.
As we enjoyed Halloween, Kaghondi commented on some of our
unusual traditions of decorating with plastic skeletons, ghosts, blood, and
tombstones. “People in Tanzania would
kill you if they found that in your house.
They would blame all the ills and calamities occurring in the village on
your communing with the dead.” He
also asked, “If this is a children’s holiday, why do the adults dress up?” I’m not sure I have a good answer for that
one.
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| Kaghondi and his 'wig'. |
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| Flower Power Girl |
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| Skeletor |
Kaghondi is an astute observer. One day he asked, “Do you [Americans] have dog
ambulances?” It cracked me up at first,
but it wasn’t too long before I realized that it is a legitimate question. We have driven by doggy daycares, dog
hospitals, dog clothing stores, dog bakeries, dog toy stores, dog walks, dog
parks, etc. And, after a quick Google search—I learned
that, of course, we have dog ambulances. Why wouldn’t we? Kaghondi told me about a lady that married
her dog recently as declared in grocery store tabloids. I have no doubt it all happened with a Milkbone wedding cake. In Vermont there is a Doggy Chapel boasting
all creeds, breeds and no dogmas.
So I asked him about pets in Tanzania. He explained the he was once sad about losing
a dog that helped him with the goats.
But to talk about dogs the way we do would be a sign of craziness in
Tanzania. Imagine visiting about your
pet in a country where most people have lost children, battle malaria, HIV, and
starvation. And when searching for a trivial parallel in our society, something so insignificant that you might be
embarrassed to mention it, I find that those subjects are already surrounded
with interest groups, websites and nonprofits.
Even if I were to describe to you the effectiveness of our dishsoap on
olive oil, we could spend hours surfing the 4.5 million websites related to
this. When that topic gets old I can then tell you
about our whistling-impaired parakeet and the $2,500 prothesis that the vet recommended for her.
After seeing “Just Married” on the windshield of a car,
Kaghondi asks, “Do they do the same for ‘Just Divorced’?”
Culinary adventures:
Kaghondi eats everything. His
friends in Tanzania ask, “Have you eaten ‘Taco’?” while bursting out in
laughter. ‘Taco’ means ‘butt’ in
Swahili.
He answers them cheerfully that his favorite place is ‘Taco
Cabana’; which poetically translates to ‘butt squeeze’. He
also touts eating a ‘chuychanga’ (at Chuy’s) which translates to 'baby
leopard'.
“Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms
with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.” Samuel Butler
“Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant? I’m halfway through my fishburger and I
realize, Oh, my God. I could be eating s
slow learner." Lynda Montgomery
“Halloween was confusing.
All my life my parents said, “Never take candy from strangers.” And then
they dressed me up and said, “Go beg for it.”
Rita Rudner
"America is the only country that has gone from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between." Oscar Wilde
Dreaming of 'Bark Mitzvahs' and 'Muzzle Tovs',
Daris
PS You all will be glad to know that all meat-scented doggy condemns have been recalled. Choking hazard. Seriously.
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| My favorite parakids! |
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| Who's taking care of whom on 6th Street? |
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| Kaghondi and Take 6 |
